Cal 20 buying advice

I am in discussion with a Cal 20 owner to buy his boat. Would appreciate any advice from this group on what to look for, what questions to ask, what some of the typical flaws of the Cal 20 are., etc.. Don't know year of construction but Hull number is 1351. Deck has a couple of gel coat cracks - I've never repaired this sort of thing. Is it a DIY or a job for a pro? Also, the forward hatch needs to be replaced - are replacements available ? Expensive? Any other comments on the wisdom or foolishness of buying a Cal 20 would be appreciated. TIA

Gel coat is always cracking so its a good skill to learn on a boat older then most. Check for soft spots on the deck and in the cockpit, it can easily be repaired, also check the rudder to make sure its solid, otherwise its another skill to be learned on how to expoxy and glass it. The rigging needs to be checked and its explained here. http://www.sealsspars.com/classy20footer.html Most parts are available. Basically it comes down to price. Range is approx 600 for a project boat or less, up to 3500 mint with a trailer. Bargain hard if you want it. The final requirement is that you will have to change your name to Chris, four of us on the list all with CAL-20's Mike will probably want to chime in as well as Chris C. They really know their stuff. Best of luck. /ch On Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 2:52 PM, Grey <gr… [at] gmail.com> wrote: > I am in discussion with a Cal 20 owner to buy his boat. Would appreciate any advice from this group on what to look for, what questions to ask, what some of the typical flaws of the Cal 20 are., etc.. Don't know year of construction but Hull number is 1351. Deck has a couple of gel coat cracks - I've never repaired this sort of thing. Is it a DIY or a job for a pro? Also, the forward hatch needs to be replaced - are replacements available ? Expensive? Any other comments on the wisdom or foolishness of buying a Cal 20 would be appreciated. > TIA > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > -- /ch

On 6/14/2011 2:52 PM, Grey wrote: > > I am in discussion with a Cal 20 owner to buy his boat. Would > appreciate any advice from this group on what to look for, what > questions to ask, what some of the typical flaws of the Cal 20 are., > etc.. Don't know year of construction but Hull number is 1351. Deck > has a couple of gel coat cracks - I've never repaired this sort of > thing. Is it a DIY or a job for a pro? Also, the forward hatch needs > to be replaced - are replacements available ? Expensive? Any other > comments on the wisdom or foolishness of buying a Cal 20 would be > appreciated. > Very wise to buy a Cal 20. Very cool boats. Mine has a couple gelcoat cracks at the base of and parallel to the main sliding hatch runners. I've seen other with those. I don't think that's a problem. My plan was to some day tape them off with masking tape and work some epoxy in, then paint over it. Some day. Minor crazing is common in older boats. Extensive cracks & crazing may suggest that the deck or cockpit sole or seat cores are rotted, allowing the fiberglass skins to flex more. Core rot is the most common defect in old fiberglass boats. It happens because of inadequate maintenance of bedding for hardware. Water gets in the bolt holes, saturates the core, and the rot spores cook away happily in the damp environment. Luckily, unless your boat has had the cabin overhead painted (boo), you can see the plywood deck core and see water damage. Standard flaws: the spreader brackets were undersized and tended to break; Steve Seal sells heavier replacements. The backstay was under-engineered and tended to part; Steve Seal will sell you a heavier gauge replacement. If your boat has been in salt water, check the keel bolts. Mine is a freshwater boat, and Steve Seal recommended that I NOT buy his pricey stainless steel replacement bolt set unless there was clear evidence of rust. He said to apply a socket wrench to the nuts. If the bolt spins or if the nut takes up a lot, it's rusted. Mine are still there and are probably originals. My boat is a 1967 model, I think, and is hull no. 1220. The forward hatch could be replaced by a fancy aluminum frame and plastic model ($$$) or by a wood-epoxy homemade version. I love my Cal 20. Chris Campbell

On 6/14/2011 3:01 PM, chris123 wrote: > > > The final requirement is that you will have to change your name to > Chris, four of us on the list all with CAL-20's > Yeah, it must be some sort of cosmic legal requirement. My friend who does not appreciate his Cal 20 isn't named Chris, which may explain his problem. Chris Campbell